9 self-care holidays for 2018 that are great for your health

From stress to sleep to cancer recovery, there is a retreat in the UK to help...

By
Kate Langrish

Jan 1, 2018

In Pinterest's 100 Report, which revealed the health, food and home trends for 2018, self-care staycations were number nine on their top 10 health and wellness trends for the year. It's no wonder as searches for "self care" are up +537%, according to Pinterest.

So forget lazing on a lounger, the latest breaks offer the chance to dip into the healing power of nature and come back from your holiday sleeping better, with renewed energy or better digestive health.

Of course, any holiday will help you unwind, but more and more people want their breaks to tackle specific health concerns. Here's our pick of the destinations in the UK and Ireland that combine spectacular scenery with health benefits – and not forgetting that essential holiday vibe…

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1To boost immunity...

Forget laps of the hotel pool, to reap the maximum health benefits from swimming, you need to head to open water. A study, published in the journal Extreme Physiology and Medicine, found that cold-water swimmers had fewer colds than their non-swimming partners, and another found dipping your body in chilly water helped people with pain from aching joints. Gentle waves and movement of the water also provide more of a muscle workout, while scenery observed from water level up, adds a whole new dimension to sight-seeing.

If you're new to wild swimming, it's safest to try it out under guidance. Dip your toes in with a two-hour snorkel along the shoreline of Ardmore, in Co Waterford, Ireland. Sea urchins, shellfish, anemones, fish and even a ship wreck can all be seen before you head back to the uber-chic Cliff House Hotel and spa.

Spabreaks.com Recovery Retreats is a nationwide collection of treatment packages designed specifically for those suffering with or recovering from cancer and may be experiencing the effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy*.

Breaks include Seaham Hall in County Durham, where Catch the Breath (£75pp) is a half-day for those who have been diagnosed with cancer, are recovering, or are supporting a loved one through this difficult time.

The Jennifer Young Sleeping Beauty Overnight Spa Break (£177pp) at Rudding Park in North Yorkshire includes a facial designed by aromatherapist Jennifer Young of beautydespitecancer.com, which is aimed at soothing skin sensitised by cancer treatments.

*Always consult your doctor before any treatment.

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3To lower blood pressure...

Studies have found meditation can help lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels, but you don't have to sit still to do it. During the Taste of Kamalaya experience at Lime Wood in the New Forest, Hampshire, you will learn how to meditate, practise breathing exercises and discover how to be 'in the moment' on walks through the surrounding woodland.

The two-day Taste of Kamalaya costs from £1,835pp, 20-22 May 2018 and 23-25 May 2018.

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4To improve sleep...

Difficulty nodding off? Wake-up with 3am worries and can't get back to sleep? Then book onto the Champneys Sleep Retreat. Led by sleep expert Professor Jason Ellis, Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, the two-night retreat includes sleep treatment sessions, aromatherapy massage and a sleep handbook to help you continue the good sleep habits when you get back home – all set in the lovely grounds of Champneys Tring in Hertfordshire.

Trail running is one of the best cardio workouts you can get – and so is digging! So why not combine the two with a National Trust working holiday and give your heart a social-conscience boost, too?

Based on the stunning Devon coast, you will spend part of the break learning the techniques of trail running from a qualified coach (who also advises on nutrition, training plans, and the strength and conditioning exercises needed by trail runners) and the other part repairing coastal footpaths in Croyde and Woolacombe. Heart warming!

For many of us, stress is the biggest cause of ill-health, so tackle it head on with The Body Retreat Stress Re-Set in Somerset. Gentle exercise including yoga, pilates and walking accompany hypnotherapy sleep sessions and behaviour workshops to help you understand how stress may be affecting your body – and make the changes you need to feel calmer and more energised.

Whether it's IBS or bloating, digestive problems are a common complaint – and they can have a knock-on effect on the rest of your health, too, with back ache and sleep problems all linked to tummy troubles. It's on this understanding, that Grayshott Spa in Surrey has devised a special seven-day programme specifically aimed at restoring the digestive system to full health.

Treatment includes a special diet designed to take the pressure off the gut and give it time to heal – not starve you. With the addition of abdominal massages and hydrobaths to encourage detoxification, and one-to-one consultations with a nutritional therapist and herbalist, it is a treatment holiday, but gentle tai chi and exercise in the beautiful grounds also make it feel like a break.

It's easy to get caught up with the fast pace of life these days, but a holiday on the Great Glen Canoe Trail will force you to slow down and appreciate the simple pleasures in life. Accompanied by a guide who will teach you canoeing techniques, the trail starts on the easy, sheltered water of the Caledonian Canal then journeys along rivers and through a series of amazing lochs before finishing at Inverness on the other side of Scotland. Build your upper body, core and arm strength through paddling, and put problems into perspective by getting back to basics as you wild camp under the stars.

It's no surprise that Nordic walking is one of the fastest growing fitness activities – by walking with poles, you get an upper-body workout and also work your muscles harder without realising as the poles help propel you. However, it's essential to learn the correct technique.

The Nordic Walking retreat at Ockenden Manor, West Sussex, is a two-day programme where a resident expert teaches you the skills on walks through the South Downs and High Weald countryside. Nordic walking burns more calories, so you'll have earned the picnic lunch provided – and the foot massage at Ockenden's top-notch spa!

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